Entrepreneurs care most about turning their vision into a real business, but often lack sufficient capital. Yet going hat-in-hand to investors asking for money could lead a startup CEO to lose control of their company. Sell a big stake in your business to an outside investor and that investor may decide your vision for the company is wrong or that you lack the capabilities needed to realize that vision.

If you’re like me, the startup Gods didn’t bless you with a magical idea that was “love at first site.” Maybe you came up with an idea or two in the shower. Or maybe a buddy had a decent idea that you modified to make your own. In fact, I didn’t have any aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur until a fateful internship my junior year of college with a megacorp. So I never even thought once about what kind of startup or company I’d like to run someday.

The Founder Institute is the world's largest entrepreneur training and startup launch program, helping aspiring founders across the globe build enduring technology companies. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 50 countries, the Founder Institute has helped launch over 1,550 companies in 6 years. The company's mission is to "Globalize Silicon Valley" and build sustainable startup ecosystems that will create one million new jobs worldwide.